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Home / Recipes / Soup / Best Ever Mushroom Soup

Best Ever Mushroom Soup

By: Samantha RowlandUpdated: April 3, 2021

Gluten FreeDairy FreeVeganWhole30Paleo
Overhead shot of bowl of best ever mushroom soup with a wooden handled spoon in the bowl on the left side of the bowl. Fresh mushrooms and thyme leaves surround the bowl and there is a grey striped napkin to the left of the bowl Pinterest text on the bottom of the photo

Simple healthy mushroom soup recipe is ready in about 30 minutes, and will soon become your go-to favorite soup! 

This hearty mushroom soup is easy to make, low fat, dairy free, vegan, paleo, Whole30 and keto friendly. 

Bowl of mushroom soup with a wooden spoon in the bowl

4 reasons you will love this recipe

  • The simplicity of the ingredients makes the mushrooms the star of this soup.
  • Ready in under 30 minutes, this soup is better than store bought and will really be the best mushroom soup you have ever had! 
  • This soup is thick and creamy without the use of heavy cream or milk making it dairy free and low fat!
  • Vegan, dairy free, gluten free and Whole30 friendly, this mushroom soup is great for entertaining or weeknight meals! 
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Ingredients

  • Onions
  • Sliced mushrooms (I like white button mushrooms and baby portobello)
  • Fresh Thyme
  • Salt
  • Garlic Powder
  • Bay Leaves
  • Coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
  • Vegetable broth
  • Arrowroot powder
  • Dairy free milk

Instructions

  • Step 1: Chop the onions and slice the mushrooms. Sauté the onions until slightly softened. Add the mushrooms and allow the mushrooms to cook for 5-6 minutes.
  • Step 2: Add the fresh thyme, salt, garlic powder, bay leaves and coconut aminos to the mushroom and onion mixture.
  • Step 3: Mix the arrowroot powder into the vegetable broth and stir well until completely combined. Pour the arrowroot powder and vegetable broth slurry and the dairy free milk into the mushroom and onion mixture and allow it to come to a simmer for 15 minutes to thicken.
  • Step 4: After 15 minutes, serve hot or you can blend up some of the soup with an immersion blender to thicken the soup a little more.
Steps for making the best ever mushroom soup
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The best mushrooms for soup

This vegan mushroom soup uses a mixture of cremini mushrooms (baby portabella mushrooms) and white button mushrooms. The cremini mushrooms add a depth of flavor and umami that you don’t get with just white button mushrooms. You could also use shitake mushrooms, but those are usually more expensive so I stick to cremini and white button to save money.

To save time, you can buy the mushrooms pre-sliced but I prefer to buy them whole and slice them myself since the pre-cut mushrooms can go bad faster.

Tips for working with mushrooms

To prepare the mushrooms, use a dry paper towel to brush off any soil/dirt you see. Don’t run mushrooms under water, as they are very porous and will absorb the water, and never really develop their flavor fully.

Wait to salt the mushrooms until after they have cooked down for some time. Adding salt too early can cause the mushrooms to not fully release all their water.

All of the ingredients for the best ever mushroom soup

What herbs are best in mushroom soup

Fresh thyme and mushrooms are a match made in heaven!

  • To remove the little thyme leaves from the stalk, simply hold the stalk at the very top (so the leaves are pointing up) and run your fingers down the stalk pulling the leaves down with your fingers. The stalks can be very fibrous and tough, so be sure to remove as much of them as you can.
  • Don’t have fresh thyme? You can always use dried thyme! Just remember that the dried herbs are much stronger, so you will want to use about 1 teaspoon of dried thyme.
  • To get the most flavor out of dried thyme, it’s best to rub the leaves between your fingers to crush them up before adding them to the soup to help release some of their natural oils!

Garlic powder is used in this recipe because fresh garlic can get a little overwhelming and burns easily. This way you get the garlic flavor without worrying about it burning!

Bay leaves are one of the ways to take a soup to the next level, especially soups that don’t have much cooking time. Add one or two bay leaves and let them do their magic! Just don’t forget to remove them before serving the soup (or pureeing it).

How to thicken without heavy cream

This recipe for dairy free mushroom soup uses arrowroot (or tapioca flour) to thicken the soup (no cream or milk needed). It’s important that you mix in the arrowroot powder into a cold or room temperature liquid before adding it to the heat. This is to ensure the mixture is smooth since the heat will cause any clumps to clump together more.

Tip: If you wanted a creamier soup, you could blend half of the soup with an immersion blender or high speed blender to help thicken it more! You could also add pureed white beans or mashed potatoes to the soup to help thicken it without cream.

How to make creamy mushroom soup

The hearty vegan mushroom soup can also be made creamier with the addition of white beans to make the best ever vegan white bean mushroom soup, or boiled potatoes for a vegan and paleo recipe! Both of these are an awesome way to add creaminess.

You could also add 1-2 tablespoons of vegan (or regular) cream cheese. The Kite Hill Chive Cream Cheese would be delicious stirred into this soup!

Silver ladle scooping a serving of mushroom soup from a large pot

How to make cream of mushroom soup

To make this vegan cream of mushroom soup, reduce the vegetable broth by half and blend the soup in the blender in batches or using an immersion blender.

Once blended, continue to add more non-dairy milk as needed until it reaches your desired thickness. If you add too much liquid, you can always add in more arrowroot powder (just remember to dissolve it in water before adding it in so it doesn’t clump).

FAQ’s

What dairy free milk can be used

Any dairy free milk you enjoy would be great! This includes but is not limited to:

  • Coconut milk
  • Cashew Milk
  • Almond Milk
  • Flax milk
  • Hemp Milk
Large white bowl of mushroom soup over a red and white striped napkin

Can this soup be made ahead of time

This easy mushroom soup is almost better the next day, so if you are having company, this would be a great make ahead meal. Just give the soup a few minutes to come back up to temperature over medium low heat before serving.

Note: This recipe only makes 2 servings, so if you are making it for company, you will want to double the recipe.

Storage

Fridge: This recipe will last 4-5 days in the fridge once prepared. Be sure to store it in a covered glass container (I use mason jars for easy storage). Reheat in the microwave or on the stove!

Freezer: This recipe can be frozen. However, if you choose to freeze this recipe, the arrowroot powder can get a little gritty after freezing but this doesn’t always happen, so I prefer to make it fresh!

Spoon picking up a mushroom from a bowl of mushroom soup
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Substitutions

Mushrooms: You can use all white button mushrooms, all baby portobello mushrooms, cremini mushrooms or a mixture of your favorite mushrooms in this soup.

Onions: The onions compliment the mushrooms and add a depth of flavor. You could also use shallots, green onions or omit the onions completely.

Fresh thyme: As I mentioned above, thyme and mushrooms are made for each other. You can also use dried thyme (about 1 tsp) or italian seasoning (1-2 tsp) in place of fresh thyme.

Vegetable broth: You can also use vegetable stock, chicken stock or broth or even a bouillon cube in place of the vegetable broth.

Tapioca starch/flour: This helps to thicken the low-fat mushroom soup. You can also use arrowroot flour or corn starch to thicken. You will need equal measurements of either of these substitutions.

Dairy free milk: You can use any dairy-free milk you enjoy (be sure it’s not sweetened or vanilla though). You could also use regular milk of you are not dairy free.

Bay leaf: This helps add a depth of flavor to the soup. If you don’t have a bay leaf, add an additional teaspoon of coconut aminos (or soy sauce).

Coconut aminos: These are a soy-free and gluten free version of soy sauce. You can also use tamari (gluten free soy sauce) or soy sauce in place of the coconut aminos.

Garlic powder: I like to use garlic powder in this recipe so it doesn’t take over the flavor (as garlic can be very powerful). If you love garlic, you could use 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, added with the onions in the beginning of the recipe.

If you love this recipe, you should try

  • Pasta fagioli
  • Crockpot Low carb vegetable soup
  • Minestrone Soup (vegan)
  • Frozen Vegetable Soup
  • Slow Cooker Cauliflower Soup
★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Overhead shot of bowl of best ever mushroom soup with a wooden handled spoon in the bowl on the left side of the bowl. Fresh mushrooms and thyme leaves surround the bowl and there is a grey striped napkin to the left of the bowl

Best Ever Mushroom Soup

This is the most flavorful healthy mushroom soup! Easy to make, low carb, dairy free, vegan, paleo and Whole30 friendly. Ready in about 30 minutes this vegan mushroom soup recipe will quickly become a family favorite!
4.93 from 118 votes
Print Pin Save Saved! Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: creamy soup, mushroom soup
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Servings: 2
Author: Samantha Rowland

Guided Recipe Video

Ingredients

  • 1 large white onion - diced
  • 1 package white button mushrooms - 10 oz sliced
  • 1 package baby portobello mushrooms - 10 oz sliced
  • 10 stalks fresh thyme - leaves removed
  • 1 cup organic vegetable broth
  • 1 tbs. tapioca flour - or arrowroot or cornstarch
  • 1 cup dairy free milk - unsweetened
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tbs. coconut aminos - liquid aminos as an alternative
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder - optional

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the diced onions. Allow to sweat while slicing the mushrooms. About 5-7 minutes.
  • Move onions to the sides of the saucepan and add mushrooms, allow to cook 5 minutes uncovered.
  • Stir the onions and mushrooms together. Add fresh thyme and allow to continue to cook, at least 10 minutes.
  • You will notice a substantial amount of water has come out of the mushrooms, and they are reduced in volume by half.
  • Add the bay leaf, the salt and the liquid aminos to the mushrooms.
  • Stir the 1 tbs. of tapioca starch into the organic broth. Add to mushrooms and stir. Add almond milk.
  • Allow to cook for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Notes

This soup is amazing the next day as well and can easily be doubled or tripled.
To make the soup creamier, you can blend half the soup in a high speed blender (be careful, it’s hot). 
To thicken the soup even more, you can add a can of drained white beans or boiled potatoes. 
A mixture of cremini (baby portobello) and white button mushrooms are best. However you can use all cremini or all white button mushrooms if you need to.
If you don’t have fresh thyme, you can use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme.
Dairy free milks that this works well with include: unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk or oat milk.
Substitutes for tapioca starch include arrowroot powder or cornstarch.
See how I calculate food cost.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
116
Fat
 
1
g
Carbohydrates
 
21
g
Fiber
 
3
g
Sugar
 
7
g
Protein
 
6
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?Let others know by rating and leaving a comment below!

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Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in February of 2015, but was published again in May 2019 to include step by step directions, recipe notes and new photos.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Terry

    December 1, 2020 at 2:55 pm

    4 stars
    excellent

    Reply
  2. MNFran

    October 30, 2020 at 8:10 pm

    I’ve never used aminos before. Can I skip it? What do aminos do to the recipe? We’re not on any special diet, so we don’t count carbs, we’re not vegan, not on paleo…nothing of the sort. We love mushrooms, however, and this recipe sounds heavenly. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Samantha Rowland

      November 2, 2020 at 8:57 am

      Great question – you could use soy sauce instead if you don’t have liquid aminos or coconut aminos.

      Reply
    • Glenna

      November 6, 2020 at 5:27 pm

      5 stars
      Outstanding. Used bone broth and almond milk. Rich and creamy. 5 stars for sure!

      Reply
  3. Lorraine Peterson

    October 9, 2020 at 12:40 pm

    5 stars
    Made this today with what was on hand
    Home made chicken stock
    Bag of marked down white mushrooms
    And 1/2 can of great northern beans
    I skipped the added salt because I felt the liquid aminos was salty enough
    I did blend part of it
    And I saved the recipe to make again!

    Reply
  4. Elise

    October 1, 2020 at 4:25 pm

    5 stars
    Delish and so easy to make. Very tasty. I used 1 heaping TBS of dried thyme. perfect.

    Reply
  5. Lea Hayes

    September 29, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    5 stars
    This was a great recipe. Easy to make and plenty of substitutions recommended. My spouse loved it and didn’t even eat the salad I made to go with it. There were alot of mushrooms. This is a hearty, tasty soup!

    Reply
  6. Beth

    September 29, 2020 at 1:36 pm

    Has anyone used heavy cream in this rather than a non dairy milk? I just wonder if it would taste as good AND would you use the same amount? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Samantha Rowland

      October 28, 2020 at 7:19 am

      Hey Beth – I’m guessing the soup would end up being extremely rich with the same measurement of heavy cream. I would start with half and go from there!

      Reply
  7. Ronald Moomaw

    August 22, 2020 at 6:55 pm

    5 stars
    Best ever!

    Reply
    • Samantha Rowland

      August 26, 2020 at 10:08 am

      Thanks Ronald!! Glad you loved it!

      Reply
  8. Andrea

    July 4, 2020 at 12:06 am

    5 stars
    The soup came out perfect! Thanks for this :)

    Reply
  9. Jan Gurgul

    June 24, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    5 stars
    Perfection. My kitchen smells heavenly. I did add in a light pour of Pinot Grigio at the end for fun. I know my family will love this!

    Reply
  10. Molly

    May 17, 2020 at 10:38 am

    5 stars
    Delicious!

    Reply
  11. DML

    May 3, 2020 at 6:50 pm

    5 stars
    This truly is the best tasting mushroom soup ever! And so healthy! Thank you!

    Reply
  12. Mary

    May 3, 2020 at 1:42 pm

    This soup is Beyond Delicious! Even if you have never made it, I urge you to double the recipe because you’ll want to go back again and again for more. Thank you for such an easy recipe that taste like it took hours of prep and cooking time. This soup is so good I will be serving it to guests once life gets back to normal after Covid-19.

    Reply
  13. A

    April 30, 2020 at 9:08 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe! I used light coconut milk and cornstarch. I doubled the broth and coconut milk, next time I’ll probably triple it! For a larger batch and more liquid. I also blended a little more than 1/2 of the mushrooms and it made for a very delicious soup! Added a wedge of triple cream brie and 4-5 crackers – perfection! Thank you!!!

    Reply
  14. Shannon

    April 27, 2020 at 9:15 am

    5 stars
    Delicious and easy to prepare – it turned out great! Blending half of it did make it much thicker and I also added a baked potato to the blender. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply
  15. Nicole

    March 31, 2020 at 11:59 pm

    5 stars
    WOW. Incredible. I made a few changes. Used a can of coconut milk (THE REAL DEAL – Aroy d) , soy aminos and dried thyme. Also used homemade chicken broth. Amazing.

    Reply
  16. sanda bee

    March 30, 2020 at 11:29 am

    5 stars
    Made this yesterday and it met all of my criteria: fast, easy, healthy, and delicious. The husband gave it two thumbs up.

    Reply
  17. Kathy KB

    February 29, 2020 at 8:14 pm

    5 stars
    Made it for a simple dinner (soup, bread, and salad) and everyone “loved” it. As stated, they thought it was the “Best Ever Mushroom Soup”.

    Reply
  18. Kim Johnstone

    February 5, 2020 at 4:47 am

    5 stars
    Thoroughly enjoyed making and eating this dish, we will defs be cooking it again.

    Reply
  19. Camilla

    February 4, 2020 at 6:50 pm

    Amazing!!! Much better than from a can!! Love it! 😋😋

    Reply
  20. Debby

    January 22, 2020 at 6:42 pm

    5 stars
    OMG! This soup was absolutely delicious. I did add some fresh garlic and a tablespoon of full-bodied red wine at the end because I didn’t have any Sheri.
    I am on weight watchers and this was such a perfect soup to make with virtually no points.

    Reply
  21. Lisa

    January 20, 2020 at 3:04 pm

    This is absolutely delicious!!! I make this every week. I use almond milk and vegetable broth. I also add nutritional yeast which thickens it and gives a great flavor!

    Reply
  22. Dedra

    January 7, 2020 at 8:30 pm

    Can you use whipping cream for low carb version?

    Reply
    • Samantha Rowland

      January 9, 2020 at 7:36 am

      I have not tried this, the dairy free milk is already low carb so I’m not sure it would change the overall carb count much.

      Reply
  23. Christina

    December 22, 2019 at 5:41 am

    5 stars
    My dream of having a vegan mushroom soup after so many years, just came true. Best thing ever! Thank you so much!

    Reply
  24. Maggie

    November 20, 2019 at 11:40 pm

    I was looking at the carb count in the nutritional facts and I’m a bit confused because all of the ingredients listed are pretty low in carbs but the carb count is pretty high per serving. How are the carbs calculated per serving?

    Reply
    • Samantha Rowland

      November 26, 2019 at 1:43 pm

      Hey Maggie, we use a database for calculating nutrition, but I recommend that you enter the recipe into whatever app you use based on the exact ingredients you use. I’m guessing this is because of the onions and the arrowroot flour.

      Reply
  25. Bren

    November 13, 2019 at 2:18 am

    Can you freeze this soup?

    Reply
    • Samantha Rowland

      November 13, 2019 at 8:14 am

      Yes, it can. See notes in the post.

      Reply
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Hi, I’m Sam! I make nourishing homemade meals on a budget that are gluten free and mostly dairy free. I’m a former CPA turned passionate home chef that is on a mission to make easy to follow healthy meals that fit on any lifestyle.
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